Mario Tennis Aces Preview – Adventure Mode

The last few Mario Tennis titles have been a bit of a let down, but Mario Tennis Aces was looking to be the re-awakening of the franchise. For the last 4 or so days, we have been taking Mario Tennis Aces for a spin, and are enjoying it so far. While some aspects of the game may grow tiresome after we play it for weeks on end, after a few days, everything is still feeling fairly fresh. The biggest reason why we were excited about Mario Tennis Aces was the previously announced Adventure Mode. And we have some details for you!

Adventure Mode plays out much like we all thought from the pre-launch videos Nintendo has been putting out. Mario travels along a set path, moving from ‘level’ to ‘level’ performing various tasks. Some are required to advance, while others are not. Your first two levels will introduce the Adventure Mode’s story, and teach you the finer aspects of Tennis. This actually serves as the tutorial for the entire game, as the other game modes don’t unlock until finishing this part of Adventure Mode.

After completing the tutorial and learning that you will be tracking down 5 power stones, you begin your adventure in the Forest. From our time with these levels, we don’t expect Adventure Mode to be that long of an experience. Within 30 minutes, we had taken down Donkey Kong in a 2 set match, taken down a group of piranha plants, and finished off the worlds boss, Petey Piranha. Not only was I able to complete all these challenges, but I did the optional practice levels as well. Let’s dive into them all!

Minor spoilers ahead for World 1!

Forest World

Your first task when entering the Forest World, as Mario and with Toad, is to prove that you are brave enough to venture forward. This means a 2 set match against everyone’s favourite Ape, Donkey Kong. You’ll play on a grass – perhaps leaf? – court, and the match shouldn’t be difficult for those who successfully completed the tutorial.

Upon completing your first match, you’ll have two options: to venture deeper into the forest and see what lies ahead, or veer off to the left and do a bit of practicing with Toad. The practice court is a good place to hone your skills, and the first court here allows Mario to practice a variety of shots while trying to keep a rally going with Toad. Score 200 points without breaking your racket or letting 3 balls slip past you, and victory will be yours.

For completing these challenges – and all the levels for that matter – Mario will be rewarded with experience points. These points will be used to upgrade various attributes, such as agility and power. The more you play, the higher your level will become. And don’t quit out of a match you don’t think you can win. Completing any level – even if you fail – will net you a good amount of experience!

After finishing with Toad, it’s on to the next level deeper in the forest. This one is a bit more complicated, as it will have you returning fireballs being spit at you by piranha plants in order to defeat said plants. Once you’ve knocked out the correct number within the time limit, you will be rewarded with some experience, and the ability to travel to two new destinations: the final boss for the world, or to another practice court.

Off to the practice court we go, and find Spike waiting for us there. If we can get 20 balls past Spike within the time limit, and without breaking our racket, he will give us a brand new racket for our bag. Obtaining new rackets is incredibly important, as they all have different attributes. On top of that, however, the rackets will stack in your bag. Your original racket could only withstand 3 hits before breaking, but when stacked with your new racket from Spike, you can withstand more. When one racket breaks, instead of instantly failing the level, you will pull our your additional racket and continue playing. You might want to visit Spike again in the future, however, as you might need to replace your rackets often!

The final boss the Forest World isn’t too difficult, and those who remember fighting Petey Piranha in previous Mario titles might have a good idea of what you need to do. I won’t spoil this one for you, but remember that zone shots will be incredibly important if you want to win!

We have partnered with Abdallah again to bring you some great Mario Tennis Aces content!

This is about an hour showcasing all Mario’s moves, from the demo earlier this month! Click the banner to learn more!

We have moved along a bit from World 1, but don’t want to spoil anymore of what you will encounter in Mario Tennis Aces Advenure Mode. Are you excited to try this out? Have any questions for us? Let’s talk on Twitter!

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Adam Roffel has only been writing about video games for a short time, but has honed his skills completing a Master's Degree. He loves Nintendo, and almost anything they have released...even Tomodachi Life.